Ages Hard Logic Strategy Guide

This document details tricks and obscurities that are in Ages hard logic. See ages_notes.md for a list of things that are out of logic even in hard.

General

• Use mystery seeds to light torches (1 in 4 chance of success). This is only in logic for rooms with no more than 2 torches.

• Get scent seeds from the plants in D3.

• Get bombs from Head Thwomp or Goron Shooting Gallery (200-299 points).

• Get a random potion from Maple instead of buying one from Syrup.

• Use bomb boosts to increase jump distance. Pull a bomb near the gap you're jumping, move slightly closer to the gap, and jump in the desired direction as the bomb explodes. Buffering the simultaneous jump + directional input by holding the relevant buttons while closing a menu makes the trick easier.

  I think the only relevant strictly horizontal or vertical bomb jump is across the water channels in past Rolling Ridge Base.

  Specific multi-directional bomb jumps are detailed later in this document, with video examples.

Overworld Present

• RNG manip 100-rupee drops using the shovel, for infinite rupees in logic. Hard reset, mash through the title screen (it rolls RNG every frame), make 7 screen transitions, and dig until the 100-rupee drop. [Video]
• Hit the switch in the cave under Tingle using a bomb/seed jump + boomerang. [Video]
• Hit the switch in the cave under Tingle using the seed shooter, coming from the stairs. The position is subpixel-dependent, so run around diagonally a bit if you're on the correct pixel and the seed is breaking on one of the green tiles. [Image]
• Hit the switch in the cave under Tingle from the staircase by falling into a hole while using the hyper slingshot. [Video]
• Hit the switch in the cave under Tingle from the other side using the hyper slingshot + feather + pegasus seeds + bombs. [Video]
• Jump across the cave under Tingle using the roc's cape without any pegasus seeds (bomb damage boost not required).
• Traverse Moosh's Nuun Highlands with just the cape and something to break bushes; no pegasus seeds. (There is a 5-hole jump to one worker which is fairly tight.)
• Reach the Crescent Island seed tree by visiting the map tile underwater, then warping to it with gale seeds. [Video]
• Jump across the water in Talus Peaks with the cape + a bomb. (Technically it's possible to cross even without bombs, but it's not in logic for now...)
• Get across the falling floor in King Moblin's keep with the roc's cape and no pegasus seeds. Holding a bomb to boost you can make this easier, but isn't a requirement. [Video]

Overworld Past

• Patch swordless: push into a corner until all beetles are stacked together, then use shield, shovel, scent seeds, switch hook, or boomerang. [Video]
• Enter D6 past and cross the main waterway in Rolling Ridge Base by jumping into and out of the waterfall. Entering from either direction can be done with only the roc's feather. Exiting to the left requires a bomb jump, and exiting to the right requires pegasus seeds. (There are easier methods to do this, such as with cape, but all are considered hard logic.) [Video]
• Guard skip: Enter Ambi's palace by using pegasus seeds, dropping a scent seed on the ground to alert the guards at the entrance, waiting a moment, then running past them. Some people use a sword slash to time the duration of the wait. [Video]
• Use a bomb+seed jump to reach the final book in the library trial without using the Book of Seals. [Video]

Dungeons

• D2: Reach the item on a "shelf" in the sidescroller room by placing a block with the cane, riding the Thwomp, and using seeds or a bomb boost to cross the gap. [Video (seed)] [Video (bomb)]

• D2: Clip through a shutter door by standing on the button that opens the door, pushing a Moblin into the doorway, and switching with the Moblin. You need to screen transition immediately after landing; otherwise you'll be treated as if falling into a pit. [Video]

• D3: Kills Pols Voices with gale seeds from the seed satchel.

• D3: Hit the blue orb in the basement (the one that activates the armos) with the switch hook or L-1 boomerang (requires precise positioning).

• D3: Break the northwest crystal using the switch hook. [Video]

• D3: Hit the lever for the vanilla boss key chest using a spin slash through the wall. [Video]

• D3: Hit levers for the bridges by:

  1. Using boomerang + seeds or feather in the first room.
  2. Using a bush + bracelet + toss ring + seeds or feather + a pot in the first room.
  3. Using feather + sword/rod/ore + switch hook/slingshot in the second room.
  4. Using feather + sword/rod/ore + a pot + bracelet in the second room.
  5. Using seeds/bombs + feather + ember/scent/mystery seeds from satchel in the second room.

  [Video (1, 2)] [Video (3, 4, 5 w/o bomb boost)] [Video (5 w/ bomb boost)]

• D3: Light the two torches in the basement using the cape + satchel or slingshot. (TODO: video)

• D3: Fight Shadow Hag with Hyper Slingshot. (Regular slingshot also seems technically possible but isn't in logic due to being really precise.)

• D4: Jump across the 5-tile lava gap to the miniboss area with cape + bombs (no pegasus seeds). With pegasus seeds, this is in normal logic. (TODO: video)

• D4: Get two chests by hitting switches with feather + boomerang instead of seed shooter. [Video]

• D4: Skip switch hook by taking the miniboss portal, bomb jumping to the bridge from the first minecart track, using cane to press the button downstairs, and breaking the pot using noble sword.

• D4: Hit the second crystal switch by jumping and using the hyper slingshot just before falling into the lava. [Video]

• D5: Hit two switches from a distance by throwing pots. The second throw requires the toss ring, plus feather (+ seeds?) to cross the next barrier. [Video]

• D5: Hit the second switch (from above video) using ember/scent/mystery seeds

  • satchel, using feather and cane to clip through the red pegs. [Video]

• D5: Hit the three eye statues by using pegasus seeds, feather, and mystery seeds from satchel. [Video]

• D5: Hit the three eye statues with the L-1 slingshot using scent seeds, pegasus seeds, or mystery seeds (not ember or gale seeds). Using the Hyper Slingshot with any seed type is in normal logic. [Video]

• D5: Hit the switch before the two-statue puzzle using bomb jump + satchel

  • ember/scent/mystery seeds. Alternatively, use a normal jump plus slingshot/sword/rod/fool's ore.

• D5: Jump across the gap just before the two-statue puzzle using pegasus seeds

  • bombs + cape. [Video]

• D5: Cross the bridge with seed + feather jumps, or by RNG manipulating the Darknut across the bridge using sword, then switch hooking it. The last two sword slashes before transitioning to the bridge room should be high pitch, then mid pitch. [Video]

• D5: Navigate the dark room without the cane or switch hook.

• D6: Walk diagonally across the corners of pits in the present cube puzzle.

• D6: Traverse the D6 present room with the switch that changes the floor tile pattern by:

  1. Using feather + sword. [Video]
  2. Using feather + slingshot. [Video]
  3. Using feather + bombs + rod/fool's ore. (TODO: video)
  4. Using pegasus seeds + feather + rod/fool's ore/satchel seeds. (TODO: video)
  5. Using the hyper slingshot. (TODO: video)

• D6: Light the torches across the water using the roc's cape + ember satchel or slingshot. Use of hyper slingshot is in normal logic.

Not in logic but still cool

• Pass through the rock on the west side of Lynna City by switching with the Octorok. Clipping slightly into the fence tiles makes it slightly easier, using scent seeds to attract the Octorok makes it faster. Not in logic because you could softlock. [Video]
• Hit the switch to nuun highlands with the magical boomerang. Requires "corner clipping" with the boomerang.
• D7: Get scent seeds from miniboss.